16 Jewish Leaders Meet with Kissinger for 90 Minutes; Discuss Support to Israel, Status of Syrian Ne

Sixteen leaders of American Jewish organizations met with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger in his office late yesterday for 90 minutes in what was officially described later by the participants as “an off-the-record” discussion. A short statement, drafted immediately after the meeting by three of the participants and made available to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, said: “The meeting dealt with the status of Syrian negotiations, continued economic and military support to Israel and other matters of importance to the Jewish community.” Rabbi Israel Miller, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major-American Jewish Organizations, and Max Fisher, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, described the meeting as friendly, positive, comprehensive and frank. There was a full exchange of information and views.

“The meeting was a follow-up to a similar discussion held in the Secretary’s office at the end of December” the statement said. “The Secretary agreed that it would be desirable to meet again in the near future.” The drafters of the statement were Rabbi Miller, Fisher, and Leonard Garment, assistant to the President who represented the White House and was one of the three government officials attending the meeting. The others were Kissinger and Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Joseph J. Sisco. None of those attending would discuss any phase of the session and referred to the statement for news of the meeting.

STATEMENT DOES NOT MENTION J/M-V BILLS

The issues of Soviet Jewish emigration and the Jackson-Mills-Vanik legislation, which Kissinger strongly opposed last Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee, were conspicuously absent from the statement. It also was noted the National Conference on Soviet Jewry was not represented at the meeting. However, while the Soviet emigration issue was not mentioned in the statement it may have been included in the discussion in “other matters” which the statement reported.

At the Dec. meeting with Kissinger by the same group the major subject discussed was disengagement of military forces along the Suez and the Geneva peace talks that were projected at that time. The Soviet Jewish issue was said not to have been discussed at that session. Kissinger told the Senate committee Thursday that he had been meeting “regularly” with Jewish leaders on the Soviet emigration issue and that they were sympathetic to his view on the J/M-V legislation.

Besides Rabbi Miller and Fisher, other Jewish leaders present were: Rabbi Louis Bernstein, president, Rabbinical Council of America; Lewis Cole, chairman, National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council; Melvin Dubinsky, chairman, United Israel Appeal; Raymond Epstein, President, Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds; Edward Ginsberg, chairman, American Joint Distribution Committee; Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, president, American Jewish Congress; I. L. Kenen, chairman, American-Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Also present were Mrs. Charlotte Jacobson, chairman, American Section, World Zionist Organization; Mrs. Rose Matzkin, president, Hadassah; Rabbi Judah Nadich, president, Rabbinical Assembly; Rabbi Alexander Schindler, president, Union of American Hebrew Congregations; Jacob Stein, past president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Elmer Winter, president, American Jewish Committee; and Paul Zuokerman, general chairman, United Jewish Appeal. (By Joseph Polakoff)